Increasing Student Engagement through Conversation in Whole and Small-Group Reading Instruction (K–2, K–5, 3–5)

How does authentic meaning-making with students who are truly engaged in thinking look, sound, and feel? And, is this level of engagement truly possible in this day of standards and testing? Come explore how we, as leaders, can support our teachers and students to think and talk in ways that engage learners and support achievement. This [K-2, K-5,3-5] session will explore how whole class and small group experiences build children’s thinking processes as they co-construct and deepen meaning through talking with others.

As we explore whole class instruction, these questions about practice will guide us:

• What best practices are critical for an engaging and effective whole-class lesson?
• What does deep thinking around a text develop over time?
• How does a teacher design instruction to help students understand how to navigate print to get to those deeper understandings themselves?
• How does a teacher select engaging texts for whole-class instruction when faced with a range of learning abilities and interests?
• How do we support teachers to move from asking lots of questions to supporting kids to think?
• What role does accountable talk play in engagement? How is talking well about a text taught?

As we explore small group instruction, these questions about practice will guide us:

• What best practices are critical for an engaging and effective small group lesson?
• How does instruction in small groups change over the year and across the grades?
• How do the Stages of Reading Development impact instruction in small groups?
• How does a teacher look beyond the level when selecting a text?
• What role does accountable talk play in small groups?
• How is talking well about a text taught?